Coil package



May 27, E969 .1.5. MUELLER v3,446,419

COIL PACKAGE Filed Oct. 23, 1967 l N VEN'/ UR.

3,446,419 COIL PACKAGE John Burk Mueller, Pittsburgh, Pa., assiguor toSt. Regis Paper Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York FiledOct. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 677,374 Int. Cl. B65h 55/00, 75/02; B6Sd 85/04U.S. Cl. 229-40 9 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A carton suitable forpackaging goods in annular or coiled form is formed from a one-pieceblank having an equal sided polyhedral base; outwardly radiallyprojecting but inwardly bendable outer flaps are provided on each of theequal peripheral sides of the base. The base is also cut to define anequal number of inwardly radially projecting but outwardly bendableinner flaps, each radially aligned with a corresponding outer ap. Theouter aps are made of a sutlicient radial length to extend inwardly andpartially overlap their corresponding radially aligned inner flaps.

This invention relates to cartons and more particularly to a one-piececarton and blank for making the same which is suitable for packaginggoods in coiled or annular form such as coils of copper tubing, hose,and the like.

A one-piece carton has certain advantages over a multipiece lcarton forpackaging and shipping such goods. The cost of manufacturing blanks forone-piece cartons is usually less expensive and the forming of theseblanks into cartons often requires less time and labor.

Prior one-piece cartonsV have not, however, been entirely satisfactory.In some prior art one-piece cartons, the manufacture of the carton blankfrom a single piece of stock resulted in a large amount of stocklwastage. In others, a multiplicity of intricately shaped overlappingaps were used, usually fastened by the flap and ear method, and hence, arelatively inordinate amount of time and labor was often required informing such cartons.

The present invention provides a one-piece carton blank suitable forpackaging goods in circular or annular form which, in comparison toprior art arrangements, has relatively little waste in its manufacture,is relatively easy to form into the carton, and substantially reducesthe time and labor necessary for forming. Specifically, the blank andfabricated icarton made in accordance with the present invention resultsin a 50% reduction in the labor of packing and a 40% increase in therate of packing in comparison with sorne well known prior art one-piececarton blanks.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the blank is formedfrom a flat sheet of material, preferably corrugated cardboard, and hasan equal sided |polyhedral shaped main section which is adaptable toform either the top or the bottom of the carton. In the preferredembodiment, this main section or base of the blank is hexagonallyshaped; and outwardly radially projecting but inwardly bend-able outeraps are provided on earch of the equal peripheral sides of the basewhich is also cut to define an equal number of inwardly radiallyprojecting but outwardly bendable inner flaps, each radially alignedwith a corresponding outer flap. "In the preferred embodiment, both theouter and inner flaps are scored at their juncture with the base and ata p-redetermined distance therefrom in order to facilitate the desiredbending. The outer aps are made of a sufficient radial length to extendinwardly and partially overlap their corresponding radially alignedinner flaps.

In forming the carton from this described blank, the goods to bepackaged in circular or annular form are placed on the base of the flatblank and in the area bounded by the outer and inner flaps. lEarch ofthe inner flaps is then bent around and radially outwardly and each ofthe outer flaps is bent around in the same direction as the inner yflapsand radially inwardly. Each radially aligned outer and inner ap is thenoverlapped and secured together by any known fastening means. 'In thepreferred embodiment, a pre-applied co-adhesive glue is utilized. Eitherthe top or bottom of the carton is formed by the cooperation ofoverlapped inwardly bent outer -aps and outwardly bent inner flaps; theother of said top or bottom is formed by the base.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, most of theouter flaps are made of a sufficient width to underlie one side edge offat least one of their adjacent outer flaps when the carton is assembled.These underlying edges are lfastened to their adjacent outer aps by anyknown fastening means such as by a preapplied .Ico-adhesive.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, one outerflap may be perforated, preferably along its juncture with the mainsection and at a predetermined distance therefrom, to define a tearstrip. The tear strip may be used to facilitate easy unreeling of theannularly packaged goods.

There has thus been outlined rather broadly the more important featuresof the invention in order that the detailed description thereof thatfollows may be better understood, and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated. 'lhere are, ofcourse, additional features of the invention that will be describedhereinafter and which will form the subject of the claims appendedhereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conceptionupon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures for carrying out the severalpurposes of the invention. -It is important, therefore, that the claims'be regarded as including such equivalent constructions as do not departfrom the spirit and scope of the invention.

A specific embodiment o-f the invention has been chosen for purposes ofillustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawingforming a part of the specification, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a preferred form off the onedpiece carton blankof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the carton formed from the blank of FIG.1, in partially set-up position around a coil of tubing;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the fully formed carton fabricated fromthe blank of FIG. l; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the carton of FIG. 3 taken alongline 3 3.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, and more speciically to FIG. l,there is shown a one-piece cartion blank 10 which is die-cut orotherwise suitably formed out of a rectangular section of fiatcontainer-board stock, such as corrugated board, ber board, or any othersimilar material. The blank y10 includes a hexagonally shaped mainsection or base 112 having equal length sides 14a-f. While in thepreferred embodiment, the base 12 is hexagonally shaped, it should beunderstood that other equalsided polyhedral shaped main sections may beutilized. On each side of the base 12, specifically 14a-f, outwardlyradially projecting outer flaps 16a-jc are provided. Additionally, asshown in FIG. l, the base 12 is also cut to dene an equal number ofinwardly radially projecting inner aps 18a-f, each projecting from thejuncture lines 20a-f toward the center of the base and in radialalignment with an outer liap. Thus, with reference to the center of thebase 12, inner flap 18a is in radial alignment with outer flap 16a,inner flap 18b is in radial alignment with outer iiap 16b and so on.

While FIG. l shows outer liaps 16n-f projecting outwardly, they aredesirably made inwardly bendable. To facilitate this bending, each ofthe outer aps 16a-f is scored or otherwise creased along the linedefined by its juncture to the base '12. As shown in FIG. l, this occursalong each of the lines defined by the sides 14a-f of the equal-sidedbase 12. Additionally, each of the outer flaps 16a-1c is scored orotherwise creased along a line parallel to the first-mentioned scoredline but at a predetermined distance therefrom. These second-mentionedscore lines are identified by reference numerals 22a-f. As will becomemore apparent hereinafter, the predetermined distance between scorelines 14a-f and 22a-f, respectively, corresponds to the desired heightof the carton.

As may also be seen in FIG. l, outer ilaps 16a-f each consist of atleast two main sections, designated generally at 24a-f and 26a-f. Eachof the sections 24a-f is bounded by both its corresponding score lines14 and 22, and is, thus, rectangularly shaped. Each of the sections26a-f is bounded by its corresponding score line 22 and the remainingperipheral sides of the outer iiap. Thus, it will be seen that each ofthe sections 26a-f is essentially trapezoidal in shape, as clearly shownin the outline of section 26f. Sections 26a-e are not, however, strictlytrapezoidally shaped, since each has at least one small projecting tab28 on one side thereof. Section 26a, moreover, includes projecting tab28 on both sides thereof, while` section 26j has none. The significanceof the tab structure 28 will be-l come more apparent hereinafter.Sections 26a-f are each preferably partially shaped to correspond to amirror image of the 'trapezoidally-shaped area delined by imag inarylines joining each of the parallel junctures 14aand 20a-f of the base12. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when outer flaps 16a-f are eachbent inwardly, they collectively cover the area enclosed by the lines14a-j and 22a-f.

While inner flaps 18a-f project inwardly, they are desrably madeoutwardly bendable. To facilitae such bending, each of the inner flaps18a-f is scored along the line defined by its juncture to the base 12.In the illustrative embodiment this occurs along the lines 20a-f.Additionally, each of the inner tiaps 18a-f is scored along a lineparallel to the first score line but at a predetermined distancetherefrom; these last-mentioned score lines are identified by referencenumerals 30ain FIG. l. In the preferred embodiment this last-mentionedpredetermined distance is made equal to the predetermined distancebetween the score lines 14 and 22 of the outer aps. While each of theinner iiaps 18a-f is essentially isosceles trapezoidally-shaped, itshould be apparent that other shapes may be utilized.

As illustrated by the cross-hatching in FIG. l, preapplied co-adhesiveglue is applied on one side of the carton blank defining outer iiaps26af and a portion of each of the inner flaps 18a-f but on the oppositeside of blank 10 to that to which the pre-applied glue on the outerflaps 26ais applied.

In forming the carton from the above-described onepiece blank 10, thegoods to be packaged in coiled or annular form are placed on the base 12of the iiat carton blank 10 and in the area bounded by the outer flaps16a-f and the inner flaps 18a-. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of theinner flaps 18a-j is then bent around and radially outwardly. As alsoshown in FIG. 2, this is accomplished by bending each of the inner iiaps18a-jc 90 along its score line at and then bending each of the innerflaps an additional 90 along its score line at 30. Likewise, each of theouter iiaps 16a-f is bent around and radially inwardly. As also shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, this is accomplished by first bending each of the outeriiaps 90 along its score line at 14 and then bending each of the outeriiaps an additional along its score line at 22.

As clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outwardly extending inner flapsk18a-f are then sequentially overlapped by their corresponding radiallyaligned inwardly extending outer flap. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2,outwardly extending inner flap 18a is first overlapped by the inwardlyextending outer iiap 16a, then outwardly extending inner flap 18b isoverlapped with inwardly extending outer flap 1611 and so on untiloutwardly extending inner liap 18f is overlapped by inwardly extendingouter flap 161. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3, all of the overlappingouter and inner tlaps cooperate to form either the top or bottom of thecarton. A cross-sectional View of the completed carton showing theoverlapping feature of the outer and inner flaps is clearly illustratedin FIG. 4.

A portion of the overlapping area of each of the radially aligned outerand inner flaps may be secured by any known fastening means. As pointedout above, in the preferred embodiment, a pre-applied co-adhesive glueis utilized in order to further increase the rate of packing.

Returning to FIG. 2, it will be noted that tab portion 28 of outer flaps16a-e each underlie the side edge of the adjacent outer ap. Thus, whenviewed counterclockwise around the carton, tab portion 28 of outer liap16b underlies the side edge of outer liap 16C, and so on. It will benoted, however, that outer iiap 16a, having tabs 28 on both sides,underlies both the side edge of outer flap 16b and the side edge ofouter flap 161, the last outer ap to be closed.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the one-piece carton blank 10 forms asubstantially closed carton, rigid in form and eiciently protecting thematerial housed within. The fabricated carton has a hexagonally shapedtop or bottom member 32 formed by the cooperation of the overlappingouter and inner iiaps, and has a correspondingly hexagonally shaped topor bottom member 34 defined by the base 12. A centrally locatedhexagonally shaped aperture 36 is formed by the overlapping outer andinner liaps of the carton blank 10. The sidewalls of the outer peripheryof the formed carton are defined by sections 24a-f of the outer aps 16while the inner sidewalls along the periphery defining the notedaperture are formed by the area enclosed between the score lines 20 and30 of each of the inner iiaps.

A tear strip may be provided along one of the outer peripheral sidewallsof the formed carton in order to facilitate easy unreeling of thepackaged goods. This may be carried out by perforating the score linesof one of the outer liaps 16a-f. Thus, in the preferred embodiment,score lines along 14a and 22a have been perforated. This isdiagrammatically illustrated in FIG. l by the crosshatch lines alongscore lines 14a and 22a. Accordingly, the goods packaged in the cartonformed from blank 10 can be unreeled by opening only one sidewall andwithout ever removing the coiled goods from the carton in coiled form,thereby permitting the carton to serve as a protective cover for theremainder of the coiled material.

Although in the preferred embodiment herein described, reference hasbeen made to the use of corrugated cardboard as the material ofconstruction, it is, of course, obvious that other similar types ofmaterial can be used with facility. It should also be apparent that thecontainers of the present invention can beI varied in size and shapes toaccommodate various different sizes and types of coiled objects.

It may thus be seen from the above that the present invention provides aone-piece carton blank suitable for packaging goods in circular orannular form which, in comparison to prior art arrangements, hasrelatively little waste in its manufacture and is relatively easy toassemble. Moreover, the one-piece carton built in accordance with thepresent invention substantially reduces the time and labor necessary forits fabrication.

What I claim as new and novel is:

1. A one-piece carton blank suitable for packaging goods in coiled orannular form comprising a at sheet of material having an equal sidedpolyhedral shaped base adaptable to form either the top or the bottom ofthe carton, said base having outwardly radially projecting inwardlybendable outer aps on each of its peripheral sides and having itscentral section cut to dene a corresponding number of inwardly radiallyprojecting outwardly bendable inner flaps, each radially aligned with acorresponding outer ap, said outer flaps being of a suiiicient length toextend inwardly and partially overlap the corresponding radially alignedinner aps, said outer and inner aps being cooperable to form the otherof said top or bottom of said carton.

2. The one-piece carton blank as in claim 1 wherein said polyhedralshaped base has six lateral sides.

3. The one-piece carton blank as in claim 1 wherein most of said outerflaps are of a width suicient to underlie one side edge of at least oneof the adjacent outer flaps when said outer flaps overlap thecorresponding inner aps.

4. A one-piece carton blank suitable for packaging goods in coiled orannular form comprising a at sheet of material having a hexagonal shapedbase adaptable to form either the top or the bottom of the carton, saidbase having outwardly radially projecting outer iiaps on each of itsperipheral sides which are scored both at their juncture with said baseand at a predetermined distance therefrom whereby said outer iiaps aresuccessively sideways and inwardly bendable; said base further havingits central section cut to dene a corresponding number of inwardlyradially projecting inner liaps, each radially aligned with acorresponding outer Hap and scored at their juncture with said base andat a predetermined distance therefrom whereby said inner aps aresuccessively sideways and outwardly bendable; each of the outer lianbeing of a sufficient length to extend inwardly and partially overlapthe corresponding radially aligned inner flap, the overlapping outer andinner flaps being cooperable to form the other of said top or bottom ofsaid carton.

5. The one-piece carton blank as in claim 4 wherein most of said outerflaps are of a width sufficient to underlie at least one side edge ofone of the adjacent outer ilaps when said outer flaps overlap thecorresponding inner ilaps.

6. The one-piece carton blank as in claim 5 wherein one of said outerflaps is of a width sufcient to underlie both side edges of the adjacentouter aps and wherein an outer ap adjacent said one outer flap does notunderlie either side edges of the adjacent outer flaps when said outeraps overlap said inner flaps.

7. The one-piece carton blank as in claim 4 wherein each of said outerand inner aps has co-adhesive glue deposited on at least part of theoverlapping surfaces of each.

8. The one-piece carton blank as in claim 5 wherein each of said outerand inner flaps has co-adhesive glue deposited on at least part of boththe overlapping and the underlying surfaces of each.

9. The one-piece carton blank as in claim 4 wherein one of said outerilaps is perforated along its score lines whereby a tear strip isprovided to allow feed out of the enclosed goods.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,674,372 4/ 1954 Schweich 206-592,832,466 4/ 1958 Sheard 206-52 DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. 206-52, 59

